More than half of the people evacuated from Miyake Island following the eruption of Mount Oyama a year ago are experiencing economic difficulties, according to a recent survey by Kyodo News.
In the survey, the third of its kind, conducted by telephone between Aug. 23 and Aug. 26, 105 of the 200 adult evacuees surveyed -- 52.5 percent -- said they have little or insufficient income. This was up 17 points from the first survey, in October, and up 10 points from the previous survey, in February.
Kyodo questioned 97 men and 103 women in the latest survey. More than 3,700 residents were forced to leave their homes when the volcano erupted, and most of them are still taking refuge in the Tokyo area.